California Republicans Build Support for Legislation to Address Fentanyl, Border Crises

Kevin McCarthy, House Speaker blamed the Biden Administration’s border policies for the disturbing rise in deaths from Fentanyl overdoses in America at the California Republican Party convention (CAGOP).

“I want you to think for one moment what this fentanyl is doing, because it is killing Americans,” He said that Republicans had gathered in Sacramento to attend the CACOP convention last weekend.

According to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, accidental overdoses of synthetic opioids are the leading cause for death for those aged 18 to 45. Fentanyl, which is a dangerous opioid from China that crosses the U.S. southern border, is the most common cause of accidental drug overdoses.

According to the agency, more than 71,000 people had overdosed on synthetic opioids by 2021.

“That’s equivalent to an airliner crashing every single day in this country—but if an airline crashed two days in a row we would all stand up and say enough of this,” McCarthy spoke to hundreds at the convention’s March 11 luncheon in Sacramento.

McCarthy stated that Fentanyl is killing young Americans of military age in their prime years of life and career, and is weakening America.

“I want you to think of your own life between the ages of 18 and 45,” He spoke to a crowd of over 500.

According to the CDC, nearly 108,000 Americans died in 2021 from drug overdoses of all kinds. This is an increase of about 15% from 2020.

McCarthy claimed that he visited the border between Arizona and Mexico in Arizona recently.

“In Tucson, every single person that comes across that border first pays the Sinaloa Cartel. How do I know that? Because nobody comes across that border without wearing a camouflaged outfit,” He said. “I also saw a video of one person trying to come across without paying the Sinaloa Cartel. You know what happened? They were caught, not by the border agents but by the cartel.”

“When you don’t have operational control of your own border, you don’t have a nation,” He said. “My promise to you: We will get control back of our border.”

McCarthy claimed that fentanyl is among the most fatal drugs to have ever reached America’s streets.

Jay Obernolte, a Republican from Hesperia, stated that his San Bernardino County district has seen a 600% increase in fatal fentanyl overdoses in the past 18 months. McCarthy was also present and he blamed the government’s inability to control the rise in fatal overdoses. “disastrous” Border policies

“I’ve been in elected office 18 years now. I had my worst day in elected office last fall, when I had to leave work to console a constituent who had lost both her sons in the same day to the same overdose,” He said. “And as a father of two sons myself, I can’t imagine what that felt like. So, it really brought home to me that this is not a problem that’s occurring in other places. This is a problem that’s occurring right now in our communities.”

Olbernolte has co-sponsored a legislative bill known as the Halt Fentanyl Act or HR 171, which passed earlier this month by the health subcommittee. The federal law would be amended to include fentanyl as a Schedule I narcotic in the bill. “give our law enforcement agencies more tools to deal with this epidemic,” He said.

“My county sheriff says that the vast majority of fentanyl seized is seized as it comes across the southern border into our community, so we absolutely need to fix the crisis at our southern border,” He said.

Obernolte claimed that he has visited McAllen, Tex. (the most illegally crossed section of the U.S.-Mexico frontier) several times in the past year and a quarter.

“Nobody wins in with this situation we’ve got now,” He said. “And unfortunately, the Biden administration is continuing these disastrous policies knowing the damage it’s causing, so have to return to the proven border control policies that we know worked.”

Obernolte said that Trump should reinstate the Remain In Mexico policy. “totally fair policy that says if you want to apply for asylum here, you have to remain in Mexico while your application is processed.”

He also called for an end to catch-and release policies regarding illegal immigration, which he stated are allowing the fentanyl crises to continue.

Fentanyl-related deaths have increased steeply in areas like San Francisco’s Tenderloin area in recent years. However, street drugs such new as xylazine such as the Xylazine are now well-known. “tranq”—an animal tranquilizer often mixed with fentanyl—are surfacing in the bodies of overdose victims in the city.

Four out of the 145 victims of overdoses died from trace amounts of tranq. They were tested between December 1, 2022 and January 15, this year. According to the alert from the public health department on February 16, all four cases involved fentanyl.

Shamann Walton, a progressive Democrat from San Francisco County, said in February that the United States shouldn’t deport illegal immigrants selling fentanyl. The deadly synthetic opioid is responsible for nearly 2,000 overdose deaths in San Francisco since 2020.

“There’s been a drug issue in this country for a very long time. But there’s no way we’re going to stand by and allow people to say that one race or immigrants are responsible for these fentanyl deaths,” Walton spoke at a rally held on the steps City Hall’s February 28.

Locals believe that many illegal immigrants hailing from Honduras control the Tenderloin’s illegal fentanyl trading.

Walton defended city sanctuary policies that prevent city authorities from assisting U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement. This was in response a Supervisor Matt Dorsey’s proposal to add fentanyl offenses to a list of violent crime the city uses to help ICE. Dorsey’s proposal is in line with the District Attorney Brooke Jenkins’ recent push to crack down on fentanyl dealers.

“You cannot violate sanctuary policy for any reason. It goes against the morals of our fabric here in San Francisco, and it also allows people who don’t share our values to persecute people that need us the most,” Walton made these remarks at the rally. “People are going crazy over fentanyl because we’re starting to see more white people die from this drug. Where the hell were these people when my mothers and my grandmothers were on crack?”

In the meantime, the Texas Senate passed legislation that would allow state prosecutor to bring fentanyl distributors before they are charged with murder.

Texas Senate Bill 645, which was introduced by Senator Joan Huffman (a Republican), would reclassify drug-overdoses as “poisonings.”

Texas Governor Greg Abbott praised the bill on social media, March 15.

“Here we go!” He wrote it on Twitter. “You kill Texans with fentanyl. You get charged with murder.”